Essex County Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Defrauding Victims in Car Theft and Fraudulent Resale Scheme

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for defrauding victims by orchestrating a multistate car theft and fraud ring, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Warren Guerrier, 47, of Newark, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From November 2016 to June 2020, Guerrier and several conspirators acting at his direction orchestrated a scheme to steal and then fraudulently sell vehicles to unsuspecting buyers. Guerrier and his conspirators identified vehicles to steal, then photographed, tracked, and advertised them for sale on the internet. The buyer victims were provided with electronically programmed keys and falsified certificates of title for the stolen vehicles in exchange for a negotiated purchase price in cash. Buyer victims also were provided with fraudulent identity documents utilized by conspirators to obscure their true identities.

The scheme involved the theft of at least 40 stolen vehicles, approximately 30 of which were sold by Guerrier and his conspirators to buyer victims. As a result of the scheme, Guerrier and his conspirators collected approximately $285,000.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martini sentenced Guerrier to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $291,637.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark and Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil in New Orleans, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Ecker of the Criminal Division in Newark.